The Gray Area
by 7Knight-Wolf
Summary: Are all Talking Wolves "bad"? Based on their experiences, can Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy help a Wolf who is caught between black and white--good and bad? Review, please.
1. Chapter 1: Lucy's Vacation Interrupted

**THE GRAY AREA **

**Chapter 1: Lucy's Vacation Interruption **

During the fifteen-year reign of the four Kings and Queens, it was the first duty of the royal persons to see that the remainder of the White Witch's army was decimated. Whenever there was a rumor of a monster of any sort, the royalties and their fellow warriors rode forth from the castle on the hunt.

After a good while there were no more monster sightings, and Queen Lucy decided to go for a few days' journey into the Shuddering Woods by herself, in celebration of her second year as a Queen. Technically speaking she was only nine years old, but the magic of Narnia had transformed her comprehension and capability to that of a young woman. She was a very different Lucy than she would be in England.

Peter was reluctant to let Lucy go on her own; sometimes he had a tendency to think of her as the sweet little Lucy of bygone days. However, Peter was won over when he remembered how capable Lucy was of defending herself, and when he realized that Lucy would spend much of her "journey" being fawned over by the Narnian citizens. Taking her trusty dagger as a weapon, and her favorite mare as a steed, Lucy was off.

A few days of peaceful walking and camping under the stars was quickly followed up by visits from the Talking Animals and various other creatures. Lucy liked to talk to them, but she soon grew weary of entertaining so many people for so long. The point of this vacation was to escape court life for a few days. Lucy made her way west into the deeper, mysterious parts of the forest—perhaps a little too mysterious for a relaxing getaway.

Lucy made a little campsite in a dark stretch of woodland, and then ate a nice lunch which a pair of kind foxes had given her that morning. As she ate, she began to hear strange noises behind her. At first she thought it was a bird or a squirrel, but looking over her shoulder she could see neither. Once or twice she turned around completely, and then the noise stopped. As soon as she had sat in silence for a few minutes, however, there was the noise again. Something was moving, creeping through the bushes. When Lucy heard a faint _sniff, sniff_ sound, she stood up and drew her dagger.

"Show yourself," she demanded. Her voice was weaker than she meant it to sound.

Almost before it sprang into the open, Lucy could see the creature's rather bushy gray tail and fierce yellow eyes. If she had had time to think about it, Lucy would have said that those eyes saw right through her.

But she did not have time.

The creature jumped out from the bushes, stood for a second with mouth curled up in a snarl, and then pounced directly at Lucy. It was a wolf—a Talking Wolf, which made it smaller than wolves in Earth's World, but still terribly fierce. The first thing Lucy thought of was the horrible memory of being chased by Maugrim, and Peter's fight with him later. The second thing she thought was, "Why am I still alive?"

The Wolf was hesitating, mouth open, teeth poised just a few inches from her throat. Lucy, who liked to think the best of everybody and everything, began to think that the Wolf had made a mistake and would apologize. If Susan were here, she would tell Lucy to be more cautious and realistic, and Edmund would probably say the same but a little more open-mindedly, and Peter would just rush right in and kill the wolf immediately. These warnings, along with the memory of Maugrim, convinced Lucy not to be taken in. She was ready to fight for her life. The odds were against her though; she was pinned down by the Wolf.

Suddenly the fierce monster made a noise like a laugh—an incredibly gruff laugh that sounded more like a growl than anything else. Lucy knew the laugh was sarcastic. "So you are a true Daughter of Eve," he sneered. His voice was deep and dark. "You had such an honest look in your eyes a moment ago that I wasn't sure."

"What do you know about honesty?" scoffed Lucy. The Wolf's hypocrisy was more maddening than his teeth were scary.

"Hm." Something like a smile crossed his lupine face. "You've got a point. I suppose what I'm doing now is not what you would call honest."

"There _are_ other things to eat," ventured Lucy.

"You are vastly amusing," said the Wolf. "No no, my Queen—my style of hunting does not bother my conscience. I was referring to my motives for picking you out specifically. By the way, call me Dargrip; I was second in command under Muagrim, Captain of the Secret Police."

"I'm Lucy," said the young Queen, letting her guard down for a moment.

"It's always nice to get acquainted with my Dinner," Dargrip grinned.

Lucy had her guard back up. "I know all about your so-called motives," she said stiffly. "You're a bad Beast and a Traitor to the Crown of Narnia. As such I'm sure you are quite delighted indeed to catch the Queen herself!" As Lucy spoke she was looking at her dagger out of the corner o her eye. It had fallen somewhere to her right.

Could she reach it?

"Oh, I'm a bad Talking Beast, am I?" said the Wolf, pretending to be hurt. "What about Dwarves and Giants—they're Bad Creatures too." He was being sarcastic again.

"Well, it's different with them," said Lucy, only half-listening. (She was more focused on her knife.) "There are different sorts of Giants—you wouldn't understand."

Then the wolf brought his face down even closer to Lucy's and gave her such a meaningful look that she forgot about the dagger.

"Do you mean," she asked faintly, "that there are different sorts of Talking Wolves too? Are there good Wolves? I thought—"

Dargrip shook his head, looking almost sad. "That's the trouble with you Humans," he said. "You only see in black and white: good and bad. Some of us are a bit caught between; you know, the gray area."

Lucy didn't buy it. "If you're not with Aslan," she stated adamantly, "then you're against him. And that makes you bad."

"I seem to remember your own brother being against Aslan. Your sister was scared of him at first, and even the High King was reluctant to obey the Lion sometimes."

Lucy opened her mouth, but she could think of no smart answer. Dargirp had cornered her considering a very difficult question, and what's more, his take on the matter seemed almost correct!

"Even if you were an interesting Human," the Wolf said, baring his teeth again, "I'd have to put an end to you now. You see, I swore to avenge myself upon the Royal Family!"


	2. Chapter 2: Edmund To The Rescue

**Chapter 2: Ed to the Rescue…Again!**

As Dargrip prepared to silence Lucy forever, the young Queen said, "Fine, go ahead and do it! The White Witch would be proud." She meant for this comment to hurt the Wolf, but she was surprised how well the taunt worked.

Dargrip barked ferociously, showing his terrifying mouth in full, and nearly deafening Lucy with the sound of the roar. "The White Witch!" he huffed. "As if I ever cared about her! Not even Maugrim believed in some of her evil beliefs. Before the Witch's reign, many Beasts fought her and attacked her Castle, including your friend Tumnus' own father. When the attack failed, the Wolf Packs knew they would have to protect their families: so they joined the White Witch. We were exceptionally loyal to her, not because this allegiance was ideal, but because Wolves believe in hierarchy and showing the Leader great respect."

(Lucy had the dagger in her sights now, and if she was fast she could grab it. But she needed to keep the Wolf distracted for a moment longer.) "Right," said the young Queen, "so you joined the Witch to save your own hide. That's noble!"

"I didn't do it for ME!" barked Dargrip. "Real Wolves, true Wolves, are bound to each other with such strong ties of love, devotion, and loyalty—that we would do anything to save our brother's life. If we hadn't joined the Witch, she would have killed every one of us, as she did with the Beavers."

"You forsook morality," Lucy whispered.

"What would you have done?" growled Dargrip hoarsely, turning it back on her again. "If Aslan told you to abandon your family to their deaths, what would you do? Don't preach to me until you can answer this question."

Lucy was stunned and silent.

Just then the conversation was interrupted. With a great rustling of leaves under his feet and a battle cry on his lips, King Edmund the Just came bounding through the brambles.

Edmund put all his arm-strength into striking the Wolf's side with the flat of the sword. With a yelp, Dargrip tumbled off of Lucy and onto the ground. He could have bounced back up and escaped, but instead he stood still with his tail between his legs. "Surrender," he growled.

"Very well," said Edmund. Nevertheless he kept his sharp, dark eyes on the lupine, and he held onto his broadsword.


	3. Chapter 3: Edmund's Gift & Lucy's Choice

**Chapter 3: Edmund's Gift and Lucy's Choice**

Lucy rose to her feet and threw her arms around Edmund. "Thank you, brother," she said. "It was not necessary to follow me, however," she added quickly; "the situation was quite under control."

Edmund (who was, in Narnia, as capable and mature as a boy twice his age) did not let his guard down even for his sister. He kept his eyes on the wolf. "Lucy, what do you propose we do with this beast?"

Lucy's mind was divided. "Get rid of it," she said distastefully, but inside she felt guilty.

"I think we ought to give him a fair trial," Edmund suggested wisely. "Talking to the Wolf ourselves, however, is first on my mind. I heard a bit of what he said to you, Lucy, and I find myself quite interested."

"How amusing: he's a Human with a brain," muttered Dargrip. He said aloud, "An open mind is a rare _gift_."

"Well said," agreed Edmund. He sat down (still holding his sword) and began to talk very earnestly with the Wolf.

Lucy stood feeling awkward for a moment, before exclaiming in bafflement, "Edmund! What are you doing?! This is a Wolf—you know, like Maugrim?"

"So?" asked Edmund.

"So—he's a ferocious monster!" Lucy was raising her voice and getting red in the face. In truth she was beginning to see that her fear of wolves was a very childish fear for a Narnian Queen, but it was difficult to admit that she was wrong. "Don't you remember Captain Maugrim? He attacked us, Edmund! Susan was almost killed by him!"

Edmund simply answered, "This isn't Maugrim."

"Anyway," said the Wolf, focusing on Edmund, "I doubt that you or your sister can understand my situation. You've never had to choose between family and morality."

"It would be a tough choice," stated Edmund. "I've been guilty of high treason before, but I did that out of pure selfishness. Now I'm learning to think about others. Wouldn't it be selfish to sacrifice my brothers and sisters for the sake of my behavioral principles? In a situation like yours, Dargrip, I_ would_ be confused!"

Having composed herself, Lucy tried to think about this situation open-mindedly. She could admit that Talking Wolves were no more monster than any other Talking Beast—but she could not excuse Dargrip for joining the White Witch. Since she was a very earnest, very truthful girl, Lucy tried hard to place herself in the Wolf's shoes.

"I think I understand," she said suddenly. "I _have_ faced a choice like yours, Dargrip."

Darrip's pale, noble-looking eyes shot towards Lucy. Edmund listened intently as well.

"I remember when we first met the Beavers," Lucy said fondly. "They took us to their dam, and then Edmund ran away to join the White Witch. We all came out and started looking for him. Peter said we should start a search party. But Mr. Beaver told us that the Witch had our brother, and only Aslan could help us."

"You went along with the old fat Beaver I suppose," Dargrip said dryly.

"As a matter of fact I did," rejoined Lucy defiantly. "But not right away. Peter was the worst; it took a little while for him to agree with Mr. Beaver. Susan complained that we never should have come at all. I felt the same as Peter: there's no way we could leave our brother behind. But Peter will agree to something once the faultiness of his own plan is revealed (usually). Susan was willing to give it a try, and being the smallest I had to go along with them. I must admit, however, that I was much more concerned about saving Edmund than I was about helping Narnia.

"When the rescue party came to the camp with Aslan," the Queen continued, "I was beginning to think that I could help Narnia after all. I could be a Queen now that Edmund was safe. But then the Witch came to camp and Edmund was in danger all over again. I was in the same situation again. There was only one thing different: I realized there was no way for me to protect my family from the Witch. It was simply impossible."

"…So…what did you do?" ventured Dargrip, interested.

"I had to make a very important decision. I could rush in and try to protect Edmund myself—which would endanger Narnia, because it would break the laws of Deep Magic—or I could quite simply sit back and let Aslan work this out."

"What right does _he_ have to protect your family when nobody else can—or will?" snarled Dargrip. "He's not a member of your family or mine."

"All of Narnia is his family," asserted Edmund. "You know he didn't just die to save me, he died to save Narnia's entire world. If Aslan hadn't made the sacrifice, I would be killed, the four thrones would never be filled, and the White Witch would reign till the end of the world."

"I never thought about it like that," grumbled Dargrip. "Does that mean…Aslan really does care about the Wolves after all?"

Edmund only said, "…What do _you_ think?"

Dargrip's canine face grew fierce. "He didn't save my people from being attacked by the Witch. He didn't liberate us after we were forced to join her. Your Aslan seems pretty callous; he never spoke to me."

"Maybe you just weren't _listening_," said a voice.

The Wolf, Edmund, and Lucy all around and stared into the thicket, surrounded by old-growth tree-trunks. Somebody was coming toward them.


	4. Chpt 4: Susan's Ears & Peter's Problems

**Chapter 4: Susan's Ears and Peter's Problems**

It was Queen Susan. She was riding on horseback, and was at first reluctant to get down into the thorny undergrowth. When she was at last there, she announced in her beautiful voice, "I'm sorry Lucy. I know you wanted to go alone, but I was worried. I thought I should make sure you were alright before heading back to Cair Paravel."

"Apparently Edmund thought so too," chuckled Lucy, who could always see the funny side of things.

"Dargrip, sir," said Susan, a little nervously for she was not fond of Wolves, "I must confess that I have been eavesdropping. If you'll excuse me for that, I'd like to tell you something. When I arrived in Narnia, I wasn't excited about Aslan. His name gave me a wonderful feeling, but I was scared of meeting a Lion and I tried to, sort of, tone him down to a level where I could understand him. Of course when I saw him I knew I could never completely understand him. And I didn't like a lot of what he said.

"I thought so much about going home and taking at a safe level," she continued. "And because of that, it can be difficult for me to hear Aslan. I'm the one plugging up my ears, and the sooner I realize that, the sooner I can get them unplugged."

"This is starting to make sense," Dargrip admitted, gruffly. "But what if my Pack doesn't like these new ideas? Why, we'd have to separate, and then I couldn't defend them. They'll get into trouble because I'm not there for them."

"Hmm, perhaps we can find some advice for you," Edmund mused.

Just then, there was another noise in the woods around the little group of Narnians. Lucy was not surprised when she saw her oldest brother the High King Peter enter the glade. Edmund had long since put away his sword, but Peter came into the glade with a grim face and a drawn blade. Everyone knew that Peter was the most protective and the most physical of the four Royalties; the brandished weapon did not alarm them.

"Who _else_ is coming after me?" exclaimed Lucy. "Tumnus? Orius?"

"Excuse me," said Peter sternly, reaching down and taking Lucy by the arm, "I think it's time we were going back to Cair. The four Kings and Queens of Narnia simply don't _speak_ with the Witch's rabble. Come on, Lu."

Lucy pulled herself away. She tried to tell Peter how rude he was, but her voice was drowned out by a fierce snarl from Dargrip. The hair on the Wolf's back stood on end and he pulled his lips back, baring his teeth. His tail was straight up in the air.

"You're the one who killed my Captain!" the Wolf barked.

"And I suppose you're one of the monsters who helped kill Aslan: my captain!" Peter retorted. As he spoke he swiped at the Wolf.

"For your information," growled Dargrip, dodging the death-blow, "I wasn't there for the slaying of Aslan. I was fully intent on leaving the White Witch when my captain was killed. But she made me summon her armies. When I found out her plan for Aslan, well—I thought they were going too far. I deserted."

"This is beside the point," said Edmund. "Aslan would have sacrificed himself with or without the presence or absence of any of us: and we ought to be glad of it! Now, Peter, how about laying down that weapon for a minute?"

"Then the Wolf has got to do it too," said Peter.

"I can't very well put down my teeth, can I?" grumbled Dargrip.

"I mean you must swear not to attack!"

The wolf raised its paw. "Alright, I promise."

"Dargrip was just telling us how worried he is about his pack," stated Edmund. "This goes back to what we were talking about earlier: you can trust Aslan to help your family, or you can try to handle everything yourself."

Peter scratched the back of his head, and smiled awkwardly. "Well…I guess we all struggle with that one—"

"You especially," put in Edmund.

"Ed! We're not at council so you don't get to speak for us," Peter laughed. "But you're right, as usual. Everybody tells me that I'm a natural leader and a responsible young man…I suppose that gets to my head. To be honest, I run into problems when I over-control and always claim to be right." (And Peter would have to relive this struggle during his next visit to Narnia.)

"Are you saying that I don't know what's best for my pack?" demanded Dargrip.

"We can't control other people," stated Peter. "All we can do is help them where possible and offer advice. But if we get too busy handling other people's responsibilities, we can't focus on getting ourselves straight. And what's more, your Pack would never learn to be responsible for their own lives."

Dargrip heaved a sigh. He understood, but this was a hard step for him. "So basically, humility should be the first thing I learn," he said.

"And it's quite a bitter root to swallow," added the High King sullenly.

"Well how do I start?" asked Dargrip, seeming a bit overwhelmed.

"Start with two small words: 'I'm sorry.' "

"Um, Peter," interjected Edmund; "there's more than one apology in order."

Then Peter, Susan, and Lucy knew what to do. They sat down to be at a level with Dargrip, and they told him how sorry they were for judging him. Dargirp then said he was sorry for pouncing on Lucy.

"I know you can learn to be a true leader, Dargrip," said Peter.

"If you keep listening," Susan remarked, "you'll come out alright."

"Nobody is too far gone for redemption," declared Edmund.

Lucy's contribution was, "Let's throw a party at Cair Paravel for the Wolves! You can bring your whole pack, Grip. We'll make known the true legacy of the Wolves: Family."

The end


End file.
